Burn
by FarbautiJotunn
Summary: A cruel punishment involving water is inflicted on Loki for his misdeeds and Thor stands by. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first part of a two-shot. Enjoy! Please tell me if you notice mistakes. I will try to improve. Also, for my ****_I don't remember _****readers I will update as soon possible.**

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><p>Water. Everywhere is water. Water in his throat, water in his nose, water in his eyes, water in his lungs and the worst is that it <em>never<em> stops. It never stops burning him, or making him reveal his true skin. And for that, Loki cries.

He would never admit that it was the pain of the lack of air that it was for.

But why does Loki cry? It's not as if it is helping him in any way. His tears dissolve in the water within little moments, and no one would be even able to see them. They only thing they would see is his pained face, blue and marked with eyes as red as blood. His Jotun form. Loki hates it. But he can't unsee it, now that chains hold him under water, in a small glass cell, keeping him from reaching the surface as a punishment for his misdeeds on Midgard.

Something red blurs in his vision and it draws his attention away from the burning feeling in his lungs for moment, only a little bit, but a little bit is enough to see that is Thor standing in front of his cell, Mjolnir in hand and blue eyes looking sad as always.

Or was there a time when those eyes had looked with happiness upon him? Loki could no longer recall those times, for the burning drowning feeling had taken all of his memory along with his tears. He doesn't even know anymore for how long he's been in here. He sees Thor through the glass, ignores his own pain and the former god moves his body closer to the glass. Closer to Thor. Presses his hands against the glass and and forms without air the words:

"Help me."

Thors' expression doesn't even change, but Loki can feel his own do so. It's becoming more desperate. The burning feeling is much stronger now and before he can start to feel breaking apart in front of Thor Loki swims upwards, fast, to reach the surface, to break through-

"No!" Loki is yanked back downwards, by the chain around his ankle, holding him down and disabling him from reaching the _oh-so-sweet_ air he longs for. Pain spreads through his entire body and Loki doesn't know whether it's from the feelings he has in front of Thor, or the lack of air again. The lie-smith lets himself sink down slowly, not even bothering to attempt to move again and he feels how his own body touches the floor softly.

Loki lays himself down and inhales. Within seconds, he regrets it. His body starts jerking and he coughs, inhaling more water sharply throughout the process and new tears form in his eyes, dissolving immediately. It must have looked terrible. He glares back at the side of the cage where Thor stood. Still stands, apparently. Thor looks through the glass to where Loki lies and to the tricksters'surprise he lifts his hand up, up to where Loki had put his own blue coloured hand against the glass and Thor lets it rest there. A movement of Thors' mouth draws Lokis' attention.

"Loki."

And even though Loki cannot even hear Thor, or feel the words hit him, he knows Thor just spoke. Thor spoke for him. Thor spoke. Loki with his silver tongued mouth isn't even able to breathe, but the golden thunder god can speak. And Loki now knows why he cries his tears out into the water. Thor spoke for him. Loki doesn't react to it, no instead a bitter feeling comes up in Loki and he curls in on himself, crying even more of his tears into the water surrounding him, the ever-drowning-ever-burning-ever-revealing-ever-lasting-pain.

From outside Thor can watch Loki's sobs wreck through his blue body in the form of tiny shaking movements as he cries without a sound. After a while he can't stand it to watch his former brother for any longer and Thor turns his back and _leaves_.

As Thor leaves, and the trickster lifts his head slightly up, he can see the blurred shape of the red cape become less and lesser notable until it has completely left his view. Just like the tears left his eyes, or the happiness his memory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second and last chapter of this two shot! Please review, fave or follow and if you see any mistakes please notice me. Enjoy!**

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><p>Thor was running. Running towards the room where Loki was tormented in his drowning cell. Since a few weeks, every morning as the sun rose, Thor had been doing this. Describing to Loki how beautiful it looked and how badly he wished Loki could be there with him. How badly he wished Loki could hear him. For Loki could not.<p>

Thor stared at the glass cell. Loki had not noticed him entering the prison room. The dark haired god was drifting around in the water, his back turned to Thor. For a moment, the thunderer wondered if Loki was asleep, but then he remembered how Loki could not sleep through such torture. It made Thor feel sad. Loki had not slept for two months. Two months without rest was a long time. Especially when one had to spend that time all alone. Loki stirred slightly in the water, finally turning around an Thor could see the red eyes widen, recognition evidently in them. Pushing his hand to the glass, Thor took a step closer to Loki, who is doing nothing more but paying attention to him.

"Loki." Thor's voice wavered a bit.

"Today again the sunset is so beautiful today... I wish you could see it..." As his voice cracks at the last sentence, Thor leans his head against the glass and started to cry. "I wish you could be here..." He manages to sniff out while he sobs.

Through the blurred vision of his tears a blue face comes into view. Loki is giving him a sad smile, floating slowly in the water. Thor can clearly see the hurt in Loki's eyes, but Loki is smiling for him, telling him not to give up on him and it only makes it hurt so much more.

The blonde god slams his hand against the glass, startling Loki, who recoils, and then starts gasping for air where he cannot reach it. He sees how Loki reaches up, sinks back down and drowns for a millionth time. They stay together for long after that, Thor sitting on the floor and Loki in the water.

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><p>Thor is back. Loki doesn't hear him enter, but he knows. Thor is back. Thor came back for him. Since a few weeks Thor has been coming to see him in his cell everyday. He slowly turns himself around, letting himself float closer to Thor. Loki doesn't feel how his eyes widen in surprise, nor does he notice how he slowly lowers himself to gain eye contact with Thor.<p>

What he does notice, is how Thor talks. Loki can't read lips, but he knows Thor is talking to him. Loki likes this. It means Thor still cares enough for him. He wouldn't know what Thor was talking about, though. He starts to wonder, perhaps it is about another war... No... Thor hasn't been skipping a day to meet Loki. Maybe it was the Jotun form he now bore, or how Asgard looked. After a few moments he gave up trying to think what his brother could be saying. He wouldn't ever know it anyways.

Thor leaning his head to the glass shook him from his musing, and Loki let his blue body drift downwards. Thor was crying, he could see that. It pained him. Thor, why are you crying?

Loki put his hands to the glass, letting himself come into Thor's view and as soon as those blue eyes locked on to him he gave Thor him his best smile. Don't cry for me.

Suddenly Thor slams his hand against the glass and Loki recoils in shock. He inhales by mistake and the burning feeling in his lungs returns, painfully drowning him. Loki shoots up, to the surface, air air air I need air please I need to breathe!

As he is being held back by the chain around his ankle his lets himself sink back, gasping and choking because of the lack of air. It may have been two months, but that doesn't mean it does hurt less.

He doesn't notice how Thor slowly sits down in front of cage, still crying softly. He only notices it when Thor stands up to leave. He wishes he didn't.

Loki waits until Thor returns that day. No sleep comes to the Jotun. Occasionally during his wait he makes a wrong move and he drowns again. It continues for hours like this, everyday. Pain, no rest, pain, drowning, no sleep for Loki, god of mischief. he finally sees the door of the prison open and he notices the red blur of Thor's cape coming closer he swims to the glass. He smiles weakly and waves his hand slowly.

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><p>Thor never thought he could feel so rushed. In the early morning, he was called forth by Odin.<p>

"Loki is free?" The disbelief was clear in Thor's voice.

Odin nodded. "I managed to convince the council."

Thor didn't know he how fast he could run until this moment.

Thor ran through the halls of Asgard, not caring if the sight of him looked ridiculous or not. When he slammed through the doors of the prison room Loki slowly waved his hand at him and smiled slightly. The thunder god froze mid-tracks. Why was Loki not out of his cage? Did they not release him?

He returned to sprinting towards Loki, who only now started to realize something was amiss. Thor started to slam his hands against, calling out to Loki.

"Loki, you are free!"

The other does not reply to him, but gives him a confused look. Thor then realizes he can call Mjolnir. The blonde god takes a few steps back, call for his beloved hammer and waits. Loki on the other side of the glass is sending him only more confused looks and even taps softly against the glass.

Loki finally seems to understand what Thor is doing by then and he flees quickly into the bottom corner of his water cell, curling his blue body up as much as possible, but still trying to glance at Thor.

When Mjolnir arrives Thor doesn't let her fly into his hand as he usually would, but he lets her fly further towards the glass.

Mjolnir hits the water with impact, and Thor can see the cracks crawls right through the glass, distorting everything before the wave of cold liquid crashes down him.

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><p>Loki dives as quickly as he can downwards. The god of chaos may not know why Thor is calling Mjolnir, but he surely knows that it won't end well for him if he doesn't find a place to get out of the way. So he dives down under. There he curls his blue body up into the shape of a ball and waits.<p>

He quickly lifts his head a bit up to take a last look at Thor before the grey shape of the hammer blurs into view, quickly and rapidly coming at him.

As she hits the glass Loki is for a moment overwhelmed by water pouring down from him and he is aware of how the glass falls around him. After that, air. Sweet, blissful amazing wonderful air. Such a simple thing, yet so blissful when one has to miss it for a while. Or two months.

Loki inhales and coughs. Water comes out from his lungs, burns him still up from the inside but he can still feel how Thor is patting his back, helping him sit upright and stroking his hair softly. He can hear the vague murmuring coming from Thor, blurred through the water in which has gathered in his ears. And then, Loki cries. And for the first time in eight weeks his tears do not dissolve into another liquid.

He and Thor sit like that for what feels like hours and Loki has never felt himself so happy before. Or maybe he just doesn't remember the happiness, but he doesn't care either for it at this moment. Thor saved him. Thor saved him. Thor did this for him.

And finally Loki's ears have become empty of water, so finally he can hear what Thor has to say.

"Loki I am so sorry for what has happened to you, I couldn't prevent it, it was so terrible watching you in there everyday and I ju-"

Loki silences Thor by holding a finger to his lips. "Sh-shush brother..." He stutters out. It has been so long since he has talked.

"There's is no need to be sorry. I am responsible for what I have done and this was my well deserved punishment."

"But Loki..."

Loki silenced the blonde haired man once more. "Tell me what I missed."

And Thor told Loki. Thor told Loki how he had described how the sun rose everyday, how he walked everyday towards the prison cell of how Loki and how he missed Loki terrible. And Loki... Loki sat there with a smile, listening to Thor's voice, the most wonderful sound in the universe.

Until it was over. Thor broke the chain binding Loki's ankle with Mjolnir and helped him upright. After that, he walked next to Loki through the halls and for the first time in two months Thor had someone walking next to him. Loki smiled at his brother and looks at his own hands. they were no longer blue. No longer cold, like the water he had been in.

When he was tucked into his bed by Thor he didn't notice how it was almost day again and the most beautiful sunset ever rose up as Loki fell asleep for the first time in two months.

THE END-


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